Ole Miss hires Kennedy as new hoops coach

Oxford, MS (Sports Network) – The University of Mississippi has hired Adam
Kennedy as its new men’s head basketball coach. The formal announcement will
occur during a Friday news conference.

Kennedy will replace Rod Barnes, who was notified recently that the school did
not intend to bring him back next season.

A native of Mississippi, Kennedy spent this past season as the interim head
coach of Cincinnati after former Bearcats head coach Bob Huggins resigned in
August. Kennedy led Cincy to a 21-13 record and a spot in the National
Invitation Tournament. The Bearcats’ 2005-06 campaign — as well as Kennedy’s
tenure as interim coach — ended with a home loss to South Carolina on
Thursday in the NIT quarterfinal round.

Earlier Thursday, Huggins was named the new head coach at Kansas State.
Meanwhile. Mick Cronin will take over the post that Kennedy manned in
Cincinnati. Cronin had been the head coach at Murray State for the past
several seasons.

Kennedy, who spent five seasons with Cincinnati, previously served as
an assistant coach at UAB for five years and guided the Blazers to an overall
record of 90-66, with one NCAA Tournament berth in 1998-99. He started his
coaching career as an assistant at South Alabama in 1994.